Why Houses in Assam are built on stilts?

Houses in Assam are built mostly on stilts. This is carried out for the prevention of water entering the houses during times of floods. Assam is a state which receives heavy rainfall throughout the year and there are often chances of floods In Assam. As a measure of prevention from flooding, houses in Assam are mostly built on a raised platform, which is the stilts.

Reasons for Building Houses on Stilts in Assam

With the very high rate of rainfall and also potentially high chances of flooding, houses in Assam are mostly constructed on stilts. At ground level construction of houses, the water during floods could easily enter the houses and lead to destruction, because of which houses are constructed on stilts:

1. Houses are built on stilts as a preventive measure at times of flooding. Assam as a state is very prone to floods due to heavy rainfall.
2. Stilts refer to those wooden poles or also pillars that are used as the base material on which houses are built often.
3. Buildings are built on stilts for protection from damage like water, waves, and so forth.

Stilts Houses in Assam

These days, most Assamese urban areas like Guwahati, Jorhat, Karimganj, Sivasagar, and Tezpur have depressed roads because of the gathering of water during storm season. Individuals rely upon wells for drinking water yet those get contaminated as well. Thus, the main elective left is to construct houses on braces so that water can be filled them from outside to ascend to the primary floor where it stirs things up around town and afterward streams down the side of the structure – this way no water goes into the house through the entryways or windows.

Putting houses on stilts occurred during British rule when it was found that numerous towns had been deserted on the grounds that individuals couldn’t stand to construct their homes higher than the ground level. Thus, the British government requested that all new structures ought to be raised over the ground to keep this from reoccurring. Presently, considerably more seasoned structures have their floors lifted by utilizing water-powered jacks or steel radiates. 

Stilts’s homes are viewed as harmless to the ecosystem since they might be immediately developed without making significant harm to the scene. They can likewise be moved effectively assuming the need emerges. Braces are long legs connected to a supporting construction – typically a wall or a structure. “Brace” comes from a Scandinavian language and signifies “long leg.” Therefore, a brace is any household item with long legs. In current development, swaggers are utilized all things considered. They are for the most part more limited than braces yet similar areas of strength for as.

Individuals have been building brace houses for millennia. There are models from a wide range of nations including India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia. Notwithstanding, the Flooded Stilt House is quite possibly the most well-known type in the United States. Overwhelmed brace houses were famous between the 1920s and 1950s while flooding was a consistent danger because of unfortunate seepage and metropolitan turn of events. These houses were worked over profound wells or different wellsprings of water that couldn’t be arrived at by typical pipes. On the off chance that the water rose even marginally, the proprietors would have the option to reside securely somewhere else while their homes were being fixed or supplanted. By eliminating themselves from their home during a flood, the proprietors stayed away from responsibility for any harm brought about by rising waters.

FAQs on Building Houses on Stilts in Assam

Q 1. Why houses in Assam are built on stilts?

Answer-

Houses in Assam are built in stilts so as to raise above the ground for prevention of houses during floods, during the monsoonal season.

Q 2. Where do people build houses on stilts and why?

Answer-

Stilt houses are built of bamboo and are commonly found in flood prone areas of Assam.